Posted 9/19/2015 5:15 AM (GMT 0)
So this is a bit of an odd problem to have, and it's something I've experienced before, but it worries the heck out of me. A few weeks ago I went to the doc to talk to her about my anxiety and about changing up my blood pressure medicine atenolol. I was worried because my hr at night had been low, resting in the mid to low 50s. I was on 25mg of Atenolol twice a day, so I figured it might be time to go back to once a day with the atenolol. After awhile that helped but then I started taking Lexapro last Saturday. Since then I'm noticing my resting hr when I lay down is in the mid to low 50s, tonight it was even 49!
I'm not feeling symptomatic, aside from some drowsiness from the lexapro, but I'm still concerned. I've lost about 25lbs since I started the atenolol twice a day, unexplained because not much in my diet and exercise has changed. I walk quite a bit more in my job but I also sit around a lot. I've cut caffeine from my diet almost entirely and I drink a ton of water everyday. I'm just concerned, I know for most purposes it's better to have lower bp/hr but it still scares me because I don't feel I'm that active to have it be going this low. I know the atenolol is just doing its job and I believe last time I was on lexapro starting out I had similar experiences, with my pulse dropping even lower to 34bpm. That was a time I was taking a much higher dose of atenolol though. I'm guessing that the lexapro is starting to work a bit and that is causing me to have the lower pulse rate. Perhaps once I'm in full effect with lexapro I'll be able to drop the atenolol altogether.
Sorry hw friends just had to vent.
Take care and be well
-Rx